You could name on one hand the American legends who have scaled the heights Michael Jordan climbed in his career, athletes like Serena Williams and Tiger Woods — figures so far above and beyond their contemporaries that they transcended their sport.
Michael Phelps, 23-time Olympic gold medalist, belongs on that Mount Rushmore. The single-most dominant athlete in Olympic history with 28 overall medals — more than anyone ever — Phelps knows what it’s like to challenge yourself, and those around you, to reach, and achieve, far beyond anyone else at every level.
Phelps spoke to Yahoo Sports recently, and allowed that the first time he met Jordan, he was just like the rest of us, tongue-tied and in awe.